- Woolmer, Bob
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▪ 2008Robert Andrew WoolmerEnglish cricketer and coachborn May 14, 1948, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Indiadied March 18, 2007, Kingston, Jam.was a respected player (he was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976) and coach who was a pioneer in the use of computers to analyze player performance. His sudden death, the night after the Pakistani cricket team that he coached was eliminated from the World Cup, led to numerous rumours and conspiracy theories when the Jamaican police announced that it was being treated as “suspicious.” Though a local medical examiner initially indicated that death occurred by strangulation, a British Home Office pathologist, joined by the Jamaican police, later ruled that Woolmer died of natural causes. As a cricketer, Woolmer was a stylish right-handed opening batsman and a useful medium-pace bowler. In English county cricket he made his first-class debut for Kent in 1968 and won his cap in 1970. He made his England Test debut in 1975 against Australia and played in Test series against the West Indies (1976), India (1976–77), and Australia (1976–77 and 1977) before deserting Test cricket for Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. Woolmer was recalled to the England side for two matches each against the West Indies (1980) and Australia (1981) without notable success. His participation in the 1981–82 rebel tour to South Africa brought his Test career to a close, and a back injury led to his retirement as a player in 1984. In his first-class career, Woolmer played in 350 matches, scoring 15,772 runs at an average of 33.55, with 34 centuries and a high score of 203; he also took 420 wickets (average 25.87) and 239 catches. In 19 Tests he scored 1,059 runs (average 33.09), with 3 centuries and a high score of 149; took 4 wickets (average 74.75); and made 10 catches. He immigrated to South Africa, where he coached a club side before returning to England to coach Kent (1987) and then Warwickshire (1991–94 and 2000–02). He moved up to Test level, coaching South Africa (1994–99) and then Pakistan (from 2004).
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Universalium. 2010.
